Should heading the ball be banned in all youth football?

Gordon1951

Gordon1951

Well-Known Member
In recent times at Ibrox I have seen very young players heading the ball when they play on the pitch at the half time break of first team games, which left me uneasy at seeing. If I had a son that was a keen footballer I would tell them not to head the ball for sure. If you read the study below, heading the ball is shown to reduce cognitive performance. Might be how some players end up acting a bit nuts.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180424112923.htm

Banning headers would also make the players play the ball on the ground more and improve the style of play by reducing long ball play.

What do people think about banning headers in all youth football (training and competitive) to prevent long term brain injury?

It would of course be allowed in over 18 football games.

The human brain doesn't fully develop until 25-30 years of age, probably not good to head the ball at a key time in the life when the brain is developing.

https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?ContentTypeID=1&ContentID=3051
 
A tough subject which will see the scrutiny of many sports in the coming years I suspect. I've heard of heading the ball being kept to a minimum, with the coaching of it being carried out with a foam ball.
 
Where do you stop though, fully appreciate that further down the line heading a ball could cause damage to the brain but do you then take out things like tackling too, freak injuries meaning your never the same player or end up having to give up football, highly unlikely in the younger kids as they will heal quickly.
 
Goldenboot said:
i would say yes. It Would also encourage nice football and not just high balls up the park. As a parent i would be telling my boy not to head the ball when it is high in the air. I am ok with a light bounce then using the head to bring the ball under control or knock it pat a player once running.
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I agree with what you're saying, so a ban would be impossible to enforce. Maybe it's more a cultural thing where we need to teach the kids not to head the long high balls or play in high corners etc. Very difficult subject, but like you say, a light header would do no harm and is often a good skill to have.
 
Difficult one, heading the ball is a integral part of the game and a skill developed from a young age but if it’s doing damage to young kids surely actions needs taken.
 
I remember reading or watching something about this subject and there was a coach saying they train youngsters to head with a foam ball so that they only head a real ball in matches thus lowering the risk.

I'm not an expert on the subject but my take is that limited exposure and long recovery/abstinence periods massively reduce the risk of long term damage.

Obviously you have to go with the research but I like the pragmatic approach of harm reduction rather than a blanket ban if possible.
 
A centre back heads the ball what 5 or 6 times a match maybe more.

It’s the heading during training which causes the problems. Players in the past like McNeill who was diagnosed with dementia would be heading 70/80 balls a training session. Bearing in mind the balls back then were big heavy things.

Maybe it wouldn’t be bad thing banning heading until 11 a sides at youth level.

It would encourage better football to be played on the deck as youngsters then when teams go to 11’s they might not need to head the ball as much.
 
I wouldn't abolish it for the game but I would be in favour of using a softer ball at the younger age groups. Heading is a big part of the game but ultimately there should be an emphasis on more playing on the deck.

Contact sports such as rugby and ice hockey make adaptations for the younger age groups. Scrums in rugby are not used until older age groups and at that, there still has to be (I believe) an equality in terms of physicality and skill for that aspect of the game otherwise they are uncontested to minimise risk of head/ spinal injuries. Touch/ tag games are played at the youngest age groups.

In ice hockey, body checking is more or less forbidden until around age 18. There are also strict regulations regarding helmets until that age in that players must wear a full face cage and have the option between ages 18 and 21 of a full face cage or visor. After 21 they can do as they please with regards to cages/ visors.

Whilst football isn't as physical compared to the above sports, very little adaptation is made other than team sizes at the younger age groups - as far as Scotland is concerned anyway.
 
No. Younger age groups dont really head the ball anymore in games anyway as they tend to be 7 a side games with a size 4 ball (then 9 a side I think at U13 level) so the occasional high ball might be met by a head but might not happen all game. When it gets to size 5 ball on an 11 a side game then it gets mixed up a bit more, but the balls are lighter, prob more risk from a clash of heads than the actual action of heading the ball.
 
Remember heading a mitre ball from a keeper kick out and had a headache for about 3 weeks - should be banned until over 16 - end of.
 
dublinbluenose said:
Their is a huge difference in heading the balls used in the modern game than heading the balls they were using in in the 50’s/60’s which were a lot heavier especially in the wet.
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That's the crux of the matter for me. I'm a qualified youth coach and my 2 sons also play the game. The balls now are flyaways and through the age groups we use varying sizes of footballs. The risks, which admittedly are there once reaching the older groups, are minimal in comparison to bygone days. Furthermore, the ball is barely in the air throughout the younger age groups these days, below shoulder height etc. We don't even do throw ins or long goal kicks any more until certain ages. Personally, I think it'll be naturally coached out the game anyway. Every youth coach is a mini pep imo, ball on the deck only.
 
Used to love flinging myself up in the air and scoring headers whilst everyone else was too feart and worried about their hair.

I have no contribution to this thread. I’m all for heading the ball but technically British players have been left behind.
 
Modern equipment has helped with possible future injuries. Agree youth teams play a lot more on the ground as they should but to ban heading altogether to to the detremont of the game .
Another problem I think today is the rise of feet injuries which in my view is the new style boots are like slippers.
Also plastic pitches should be banned
 
No.

All jobs have risks and most where these risks involve health issues or danger to their lives they are rewarded for it. It's not as though people are unaware of the risks.

The risks from playing Rugby, American football, Hockey, Boxing or MMA are all far greater yet just considered part and parcel of the sport.
 
No don’t agree we should , I agree youth teams should be taught to keep the wall on the deck as much as possible , but heading is also part of the game.
 
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Out of the tens, no hundreds, of thousands of professional footballers in the history of the game how many have developed symptoms of brain injury? (Apart from Jeff Astle.)

How many toddlers have suffered head injuries from falling off a bike with stabilisers, approximately eighteen inches from ground level, going at three miles per hour and would have been saved by wearing one of those ridiculous mushroom helmets?

We are truly the softest human beings in the history of the species.
 
johnnylittle said:
We'll be giving them hockey helmets next and may be shoulder pads, oh, and a face shield in case they get a blade of grass in their eyes.
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The brain is by far the most important organ in the body.

That study linked was from 2018, and the players ranged in age from 18 to 55 so it is still affecting players with lighter balls.

I'm not saying ban it from senior football, just at the junior levels. You don't want kids screwing up their brains in case they aren't good enough to cut it in the first team and they have to get regular jobs.

As someone mentioned the option of some kind of head protection could be an option for scientists to investigate.

Gary Lineker never headed the ball in training, only matches.

https://twitter.com/x/status/790473379417645056
 
Gordon1951 said:
In recent times at Ibrox I have seen very young players heading the ball when they play on the pitch at the half time break of first team games, which left me uneasy at seeing. If I had a son that was a keen footballer I would tell them not to head the ball for sure. If you read the study below, heading the ball is shown to reduce cognitive performance. Might be how some players end up acting a bit nuts.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180424112923.htm

Banning headers would also make the players play the ball on the ground more and improve the style of play by reducing long ball play.

What do people think about banning headers in all youth football (training and competitive) to prevent long term brain injury?

It would of course be allowed in over 18 football games.

The human brain doesn't fully develop until 25-30 years of age, probably not good to head the ball at a key time in the life when the brain is developing.

https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?ContentTypeID=1&ContentID=3051
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You a yank mate ?
 
They banned it here in the states until they reach U-12

I was opposed to it until recently and now I think it’s not that bad of an idea at all

1 while their brains are developing it’s not good to expose the brain to trauma.

2 Most kids don’t get the technique down at the early ages and still head with their eyes closed and still misjudge the header and get hit in the soft spot

If you’ve played football you know what I’m talking about.....when you see stars it’s not a good thing for the brain

3 it teaches them to play with the ball on the deck instead of hoofing high hopefully balls up the park that require a header to retain possession


I bought a volleyball which is lighter than a football and use it to teach my lad heading technique. When he gets older he’ll have to adjust to the speed and flight of a regular football but hopefully the technique is there.
 
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My 13yo son had to be substituted a few weeks ago after winning 5 or 6 long balls in midfield and was complaining of a thundering sore head so I'm with the OP, certainly at youth level.

As a coach, we never practise heading.
 
It's a yes from me. Anything that encourages kids to play the ball on the deck rather than playing the turgid, kick-and-run football I did in my youth is a good thing.

It's not just the apparent danger of heading the ball itself, but also challenging for high balls as well. There seems to be a huge spike in head injuries and concussions in football over the last few years, and when people are complaining about Jan Vertonghen being allowed to go back out onto the pitch against Ajax when he was clearly out the game, it's not something that we should be encouraging young boys to do. Heading will always remain as part of the game, but there should certainly be steps made to try and reduce it.
 
Yes.

It is nothing to do with being soft etc - if there is a build up evidence to support a thing being fucken daft you don't do it.

The negligence oft shown to players with head injuries in football is a shambles in comparison to sports v Rugby.

Vertonghen and Jack yesterday being two decent examples

re heading the ball - there is a ridiculous amount of contact with head has to go into heading the ball in training to practice the skill and master it for a skill that is ultimately used so few times during a game.
 
Bob Belcher said:
It's a yes from me. Anything that encourages kids to play the ball on the deck rather than playing the turgid, kick-and-run football I did in my youth is a good thing.

It's not just the apparent danger of heading the ball itself, but also challenging for high balls as well. There seems to be a huge spike in head injuries and concussions in football over the last few years, and when people are complaining about Jan Vertonghen being allowed to go back out onto the pitch against Ajax when he was clearly out the game, it's not something that we should be encouraging young boys to do. Heading will always remain as part of the game, but there should certainly be steps made to try and reduce it.
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I think that's a vital point - although modern balls are lighter, players' heads and elbows haven't changed. I suspect that repeated collisions with opponents are a bigger risk factor than actually heading the ball.
 
How would you have learned to header then when it comes to playing junior/amateur/professional?

Turn 18 and start headerin' the baw out the park every time it's up in the air.
 
Arkanoid said:
Yes absolutely, we should be playing futsal up to young teens anyway. Our whole game needs ripped up and start a fresh...what have we got to lose?
As for heading from a technical and also health perspective 100% it should be scrapped
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No we shouldn't be playing futsal until young teens, it's a totally different game
 
RFC97 said:
No.

If people want to play football they must accept it is an integral part of the sport.

If they don’t want the risk they find another sport.
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nonesense if we concentrated on them training with the ball at the feet they would become better footballers and as someone said above when it came to heading (which is not an 'integal' part of the game just a part of it) then use the foam balls tilll they hit a certain age
 
JOHNNY BRAVO said:
nonesense if we concentrated on them training with the ball at the feet they would become better footballers and as someone said above when it came to heading (which is not an 'integal' part of the game just a part of it) then use the foam balls tilll they hit a certain age
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If you concentrate with them only with the ball at their feet they will be useless in the air.

And heading is an integral part of the game, your simply flat out wrong here.

As I said, go and find another sport.
 
RFC97 said:
If you concentrate with them only with the ball at their feet they will be useless in the air.

And heading is an integral part of the game, your simply flat out wrong here.

As I said, go and find another sport.
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Bit of an ignorant attitude. If every youngster and parent listened to this advice then we wouldn't have any football in 20 years.
 
I work as a coach in America and its banned until you move to U12. Extremely difficult to coach it into them as they get older. As mentioned before, an integral part of the game. Americans are obsessed with concussion though so it’ll only get more strict rather than loosened.
 
New Jersey Bear said:
I work as a coach in America and its banned until you move to U12. Extremely difficult to coach it into them as they get older. As mentioned before, an integral part of the game. Americans are obsessed with concussion though so it’ll only get more strict rather than loosened.
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@JOHNNY BRAVO

Integral part of the game, difficult to coach etc. There you go.
 
My son plays under 14 and plays either central defender or full back. He will easily have five or six headers a game. Everything from a deflected shot that ends up in the air with no power to a full blown shot that he would have no hesitation in heading away. As for some of his team mates they would run back about 15 yards for the ball to drop.
 
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